Report lays groundwork for strengthening miles-per-gallon standards

Environment America

WASHINGTON, DC  — Automakers have the technology to make cars and trucks go increasingly far on a gallon of gas, but they will fail to double the efficiency of passenger vehicles overall if they continue to market and sell high numbers of gas-guzzling SUVs, pickups and vans, a report from the Obama administration showed today.
 
“This report shows the technology exists to make cars and trucks exponentially less polluting and more efficient,” said Aminah Zaghab, Clean Cars advocate with Environment America. “But we need automakers to be part of the solution, not pushing to make the problem worse.”
 
The technical assessment review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Air Resources Board will influence the next administration’s decision to strengthen, maintain, or — if the automakers have their way — weaken the miles-per-gallon standards beginning in 2021.
 
The review of the miles-per-gallon standards, issued in two phases beginning in 2010, will soon be open to public comment, beginning an evaluation of the global warming pollution standards that will continue until as late as 2018.
 
“These standards were groundbreaking when they were passed, and now the urgency is even greater to tackle the transportation sector, the nation’s leading source of global warming pollution,” said Zaghab. “This midterm review is a chance to place even stronger pollution limits on cars and trucks to meet the demands posed by the climate crisis.”